Adoption Processes in Different Countries

Adoption Processes in Different Countries A Review and Analysis of Adoption Processes in China, the Philippines, and Ethiopia From the world over, societies are witnessing asudden surge in child adoption, both domestically (in-country or local adoption) and internationally (inter-country). This increase is most reflected in the United States, wherein international child adoption has become more prevalent in the past decade (Gross & Connors, 2007).

This trend brings into fore an important dimension that is changing the nature of child adoption not only in the U.S., but also across crounties all over the world. Adopting a child from another country and of a different race and culture brings with it differences also in the process that adoptive parent/s need to go through to facilitate child adoption. These differences become apparent when different countries' adoption processes are compared and analyzed based on each other's merits.

This review and analysis of adoption processes of different countries, United States and three others -- China, the Philippines, and Ethiopia -- seek to explore the following: (1) determine the nature and dynamics of child adoption in each country, and (2) identify the differences in child adoption processes across these countries. Moreover, this review and analysis paper attempts to uncover the 'popularization' of international or foreign adoption in the U.S., as evidenced in the increasing awareness and expanding knowledge on child adoption and its processes in different countries.

This paper also posits that foreign child adoption is more than just a popular social phenomenon in the U.S.; more than anything, it is a result of the politics and economics that drive adoption processes, most specifically in the cases of China, the Philippines, and Ethiopia. There is no standard adoption process for American families who wish to adopt a child from another country. According to Freivalds (2009), the process of adopting a child internationally means going through a process that may be distinct and different from other countries.

Specifications such as the cost of adoption, parent's/parents' age/s, family status, and timeline (i.e., start to completion of adoption) depends on the country from which the family or parents will be adopting a child. Further into her report in the 2009 Adoption Guide, Freivalds informed that American families usually adopt children from countries in the African, Asian, Eastern Europe, and Latin American regions.

The age of children allowed for adoption is up to 15 years old, and the process is usually (and ideally) mediated by "private, nonprofit adoption agencies." Parents are advised to allow a budget of up to $40,000 to facilitate completion of the adoption process. The author also reported that compared to domestic adoption (i.e., adoption within the U.S.), international adoption is relatively easier in terms of requirements, conditions, and timeline.

These are the reasons why foreign adoption is increasingly becoming a trend and may eventually become the prevailing practice in child adoption in the U.S.

Adopting a child from the Philippines will indeed be easier for American parents, especially now that the "Alternative Child Care Code of 2009" is being pushed by legislation to be enacted as a law, which will allow "a person eligible to adopt" to "file his or her application for adoption with the National Child Welfare Authority (NCWA) or an accredited or licensed child placing agency." This act is also in support of an existing law, the Republic Act 9523, a law that declares "an abandoned child legally available for adoption," mandated and enacted by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) (ABS-CBN News Online, August 2009).

These legal initiatives and actions provide a solution to two social problems in the country: the increasing number of abandoned children in the country, and the lack of resources and capability of the government (specifically, DSWD) to support these children once declared "abandoned." As a result of this relative ease in adopting a child from the Philippines, specifications are also relatively easier to comply compared to other countries.

Requirements include a budget of up to $25,000 for process completion, both married couples and single individuals can adopt a child, at least a parent must travel in-country for up to 10 days, and adoption is completed in 28-30 months (from completion of requirements to finally adopting the child) (Adoptive Families, 2009). Adoption requirements and processing in China is stricter than in the Philippines, although both are members of the Hague Adoption Convention.

Main difference between the two is that China, most often than not, puts up female children for adoption than male children. This is because of the country's one-child policy and cultural preference for a male, instead of a female, child. This limitation in the child's gender is not encountered in the Philippines.

In addition, only married couples are allowed to adopt, with further restriction that there must be "no more than 2 previous marriages allowed for either spouse." Parents are also matched with children, wherein older-aged couples (50-54 years old) may be matched with special-needs children. The whole adoption process is usually completed for a period of 39-42 months (Adoptive Families, 2009). It is worthy to note that despite its stricter requirements, China's increased promotion and encouragement for international adoption is no different from the Philippines.

Like the Philippines, China promotes foreign adoption because of the monetary gains that adoption processes contribute to the country's public (government) wealth. It was reported that international adoptions bring in "U.S. $3,000 per capita in madatory orphanage donations and an additional U.S. $1,000-2,000 in other fees and expenses paid by adoptive parents in China" (Johnson, 2002:388). Foreign adoptions have become so rampant and "profitable" that domestic adoption is weakly promoted, if at all, by the Chinese government (ibid.).

Ethiopia is perhaps one of the countriest with the easiest adoption process, although it is not a member of the Hague Adoption Convention. Couples and single females aged no older than 40 years old are allowed to adopt, although there is preference for couples who are married.